Of German origin, Joseph Heuer has jobs as a cabinetmaker and bookbinder, and works ruling registers before embarking on an army career. For unknown reasons, he is interned in 1860 in the asylum at Vernets, where he remains for forty years. He is subsequently transferred to the Bel-Air institution, where he confines himself to his room to draw and write. The artist’s topographies are based on memories and elements from geographic maps and military strategy.
